Rhubarb cake - a local, seasonal version of Blueberry Nutmeg Cake from "Ripe." For the May 20, 2012, issue of Green Mountain. / MELISSA PASANEN, for the Free Press

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I prefer to look at recipes as a dynamic creative tool rather than as a prescription carved in stone, something you must follow to the letter or risk inedible disaster.

In fact, you have to do that if you really want to focus on cooking locally and seasonally since a basic recipe concept may appeal, but call for strawberries in December or asparagus in August.

(Of course, you can now buy strawberries even in the middle of winter, but they just donít taste that good.)

Such was the case when I opened my most recent cookbook purchase. Iím up to close to 1,000 in my library and Iíve been really good lately. But I just couldnít resist this one, inspired by posts from its author, a recently made Instagram friend who soon graduated to Facebook friendship and now we even direct message each other.

ďRipeĒ is a collaboration from the witty food blogger and writer Cheryl Sternman Rule and the refreshingly original photographer Paulette Phlipot. It stars fruits and vegetables and is organized by color. You will want to eat the pages.

Among the many recipes that called out to me upon my first thumb-through was a gorgeous blueberry nutmeg cake. It was super-simple, calling for just a few pantry basics except for those beautiful blueberries, which wonít be in season locally for about two long months.

Happily, tucked on the top shelf of the frozen fruit section at Healthy Living, I spied bags of local blueberries from Adamís Berry Farm in the Intervale with which I whipped up the cake. It was as striking in flavor as it was appearance and was devoured by four teenage boys and two parents in about 15 minutes.

It was so good that I wanted to run it in this column, but I couldnít wait until late July. Even though you can buy Adamís blueberries frozen at Healthy Living and also City Market, it didnít seem right to run a Localvore recipe in May featuring blueberries.

Which is when I thought of my backyard rhubarb.

The plant wasnít quite ready to yield a half-pound of rhubarb a couple weeks ago when I first tried the recipe, but I managed to cut enough without decimating it. Instead of nutmeg, I went with the decidedly unlocal orange zest because I love pairing rhubarb and orange. And of course, I upped the sugar to balance the tartness of rhubarb.

It was yet another huge success, devoured this time by two teenage boys and two parents within about 45 minutes.

When I touched base with Cheryl to let her know how my recipe improvisation had gone, she reminded me, as her recipe introduction says, that she based her blueberry cake off an old recipe featuring plums from longtime New York Times food writer and cookbook author Marian Burros (who happens to have a Vermont summer home).

That got my cogs whirring again, dreaming of the cake made with strawberries in June, cherries or plums in July, blueberries or peaches in August, fall raspberries or blackberries in September and cranberries through the late fall and winter.

In the meantime, the rhubarb grew back and I had enough to test the recipe one more time just to be sure. According to the almost immediately empty cake stand, itís a keeper no matter the season.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment. (Do not skip the parchment; I learned the hard way.)

2. Remove zest from orange with a rasp-style zester such as Microplane to yield finely grated zest. Make sure to avoid the bitter white pith. If you use a regular zester or peeler, finely mince the zest before using. You should have about 2 teaspoons zest. Halve the orange and juice one half. (You wonít need the other half for this recipe so eat it and be done with it.)

3. In a medium bowl, toss sliced rhubarb with 1 teaspoon of the orange juice (drink the rest), 1 teaspoon of the zest and one-half cup of the sugar. Set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and remaining teaspoon orange zest.

4. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and remaining three-quarters cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl and with mixer on low, beat in dry ingredients. Do not overbeat. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth top.

5. Scatter rhubarb and any juices over batter trying to keep fruit away from outer edge of pan (where it might burn). Bake in center of oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean and the cake just begins to pull away from pan sides. Cool in pan for 30 minutes.

6. Run a knife between cake and pan and spring cake free before cooling completely. Slide a wide, thin spatula under cake to transfer it to a large plate. Wrap tightly with plastic and let mellow at room temperature for several hours, or overnight, before eating. If, for some strange reason, you have any left after more than 24 hours, itís best kept, tightly wrapped, in the fridge.

For the blueberry version: The original ďRipeĒ recipe calls for 2 cups of fresh (or unthawed frozen) blueberries, less sugar and some nutmeg. In step 3, toss berries with ĺ teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Whisk or sift one-half teaspoon ground nutmeg into the flour mixture instead of the orange zest. In step 5, after youíve scattered the blueberries, stir together 1 and one-half more tablespoons sugar and one-quarter teaspoon nutmeg together and sprinkle evenly over the berries.